Connecting to the Land

When it was safe to do so, my husband and I booked a 4-day canoe trip at Point Grondine Park recently.

After months of sticking close to home and exhausting my local outdoor hangouts (nature time), I desperately needed to see more of Mother Earth. I am so incredibly thankful that Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and First Nation community opened up its land for outdoor use during this difficult time.

Canoeing on Cedar Lake (cellphone image).

The staff was exceptionally helpful when we called to make our reservation. And so super nice!

Pink Lady Slipper, also known as Moccasin Flower and Whip-poor-will Shoes is a native species of orchid.

We made it to our campsite and immediately set up the bug shelter. As we started looking around, we found Pink Lady Slipper orchids everywhere.

Campsite C7 on Cedar Lake.

This was the first canoe trip that my husband and I had taken together since August (we did a 3-day French River trip) and before then, in August 2017 in Quetico!

It was so amazing to just go out together and leave our little one, Severn, to bond with her Nana and Opa for the week.

This particular site had so many wildflowers! I had to photograph them before we paddle off the following morning.

Wild Columbine.

Our plan was to paddle down to the Georgian Bay coastline and then back, but the wind was gusting to 57, so we were windbound! We pretty much had to make camp around Collins Inlet for the night.

Stuck on a rock on Collins Inlet, Georgian Bay. Making breakfast after spending the previous day here, windbound.

I wanted, so badly, to paddle down Beaverstone Bay and around the Phillip Edward Island, but this particular week was just gusting winds. Too much open water and not enough time to make a go of this idea.

Instead, we paddled around Georgian Bay, fished and eventually portaged back into Point Grondine Park where we looked for a place to camp. Even though we didn’t book a particular campsite, we were allowed to make camp in case of an emergency. I thought this was an okay decision, since not a lot of people were in the park. And if someone came for the campsite we ended up staying on, we were going to pack up and leave (even though it would have been an extremely long day).

Obviously it is strongly advisable to never camp on a site that you don’t have a reservation for.

Dodging islands and inlets on Georgian Bay to stay out of the wind.

Fishing Georgian Bay.

One of many pike we caught.

Paddling back in Point Grondine Park on Cedar Lake.

The previous day when we were stuck on a rock at Collins Inlet, we saw dozens of turkey vultures, a couple of bald eagles and what looked like a golden eagle.

Once we were back on Cedar Lake, we found out why. There was a dead moose floating around in the lake.

And as we paddled by it, a golden eagle flew above us. I felt so incredibly lucky to have seen a golden eagle on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory!

We found a campsite to make home for the night, and I have to say that it’s probably one of the best campsites I’ve ever stayed on.

The granite on this site was just so amazing.

More Pink Lady Slippers everywhere.

Fishing near some rapids. (GoPro image).

What an amazing time. We heard so many birds! Sandhill cranes, Canada geese, hermit thrushes (our favourite!), various species of sparrows (still working on IDing those), chickadees, whippoorwills, a loon and so much more.

We didn’t see anyone in the park. This made us feel like we were super connected to the land we were paddling and camping on. So thankful for this.

Cedar Lake has to be one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever been on. (cellphone image).

A small portage around a gorgeous set of falls.

We didn’t get a chance to see these pictographs when we were paddling around Collins Inlet because it was so windy. But I am so thankful for these interpretive signs in Point Grondine Park to help us learn more about the history of this land.